NBA FINALS MILITARY FACES Paul carries Suns Security concerns Monsters abound to Game 1 win cited for timing in ‘Wellington over Bucks of Bagram exit Paranormal’ Page 24 Page 6 Page 18 Deployment at US-Mexico border will stretch into fourth year ›› Page 3 stripes.com Volume 80 Edition 59 ©SS 2021 THURSDAY,JULY 8, 2021 50¢/Free to Deployed Areas IRAQ Rocket attack hurts 2 Base housing US troops targeted for second time in week BY CHAD GARLAND Stars and Stripes Two members of the anti-Islam- ic State coalition suffered minor injuries following a rocket attack on a base housing U.S. troops in western Iraq, while allied troops thwarted a drone attack on a coali- tion outpost in Syria on Wednes- day, military officials said. About 14 rockets fell on al Asad Air Base at about 12:30 p.m., said U.S. Army Col. Wayne Marotto, a coalition spokesman, who con- firmed the injuries and that all personnel had been accounted for. Military officials did not say whether the injured were U.S. ser- vice members. The projectiles landed on the Twitter, Security Media Cell Iraqis inspect the damage after al Asad Air Base was hit in a rocket attack Wednesday. It was the second rocket attack targeting the base this SEE ATTACK ON PAGE 7 week and follows two attempted drone attacks on U.S. compounds elsewhere in Iraq. Green Beret’s Silver Star sheds light on US ground combat in Somalia BY CHAD GARLAND in July 2015, they said they met no Group (Air- companying the Silver Star earned the medal do not appear to Stars and Stripes resistance. But U.S. Army records borne) demon- awarded in 2018. have been previously disclosed. An Army Green Beret was in- detail a harrowing battle against a strated courage Doyle’s name was redacted U.S. forces have been assisting strumental in retaking a key al- “prepared, determined and nu- and leadership from the narrative, released un- Somali troops in their battle Shabab stronghold during a brutal merically superior enemy” and that “undoubt- der the Freedom of Information against al-Shabab militants firefight six years ago, newly re- provide a rare glimpse into com- edly saved the Act and provided to Stars and aligned with al-Qaida since at leased records of his Silver Star bat involving U.S. ground troops lives of eight Stripes this week. His name ap- least 2013. Earlier this year, the award reveal. in Somalia. [U.S. special op- pears on a related award certifi- Pentagon pulled hundreds of Doyle When Somali soldiers, backed “Under significant enemy fire,” erations troops] cate and a public list of Army Sil- troops from the country, but U.S. by Kenyan forces, retook the town Capt. William Doyle of the Colora- and resulted in the liberation of ver Star recipients since 9/11, but of Baardheere west of Mogadishu do-based 10th Special Forces Baardheere,” said a narrative ac- details of where and how he SEE SOMALIA ON PAGE 7 PAGE 2 • STARS AND STRIPES • Thursday, July 8, 2021 BUSINESS/WEATHER Service sector growth slightly slower in June EXCHANGE RATES Military rates South Korea (Won) 1,138.95 Associated Press April and May of last year, as busi- average of the previous three Switzerland (Franc) .9246 Euro costs (July 8) $1.15 Thailand (Baht) 32.31 SILVER SPRING, Md. — Growth nesses were forced to shut down months. Hiring in June was partic- Dollar buys (July 8) 0.8238 Turkey (New Lira) 8.6989 British pound (July 8) $1.35 in the services sector, where most during the early stages of the coro- ularly strong in restaurants, bars Japanese yen (July 8) 108.00 (Military exchange rates are those available Americans work, slowed in June fol- navirus pandemic. and hotels, which collectively ab- South Korean won (July 8) 1,108.00 to customers at military banking facilities in the Commercial rates country of issuance for Japan, South Korea, Ger­ lowing record expansion in May. After five consecutive months of sorbed heavier layoffs from the re- many, the Netherlands and the United Kingdom. Bahrain (Dinar) .3767 For nonlocal currency exchange rates (i.e., pur­ The Institute for Supply Manage- expansion, the employment index cession. Those businesses added Britain (Pound) 1.3808 chasing British pounds in Germany), check with Canada (Dollar) 1.2447 your local military banking facility. Commercial ment said Tuesday that its monthly fell into contraction territory in June 343,000 jobs, but it may not be China (Yuan) 6.4671 rates are interbank rates provided for reference Denmark (Krone) 6.2989 survey of service industries retreat- with a reading of 49.3, down from enough. Egypt (Pound) 15.6895 when buying currency. All figures are foreign ed to a reading of 60.1, following a May’s 55.3, suggesting many com- Comments from respondents Euro .8470 currencies to one dollar, except for the British Hong Kong (Dollar) 7.7685 pound, which is represented in dollars­to­ all-time high reading of 64 in May. panies are still struggling to hire continued to focus on supply chain Hungary (Forint) 302.21 pound, and the euro, which is dollars­to­euro.) Israel (Shekel) 3.2702 Any reading above 50 indicates the enough workers. issues, supply shortages and staffing Japan (Yen) 110.71 INTEREST RATES sector is expanding. The Labor Department reported difficulties. Kuwait (Dinar) .3012 Norway (Krone) 8.6952 Prime rate 3.25 It’s the 13th straight month of ex- an encouraging burst of hiring in its “Manpower has been a concern,” Philippines (Peso) 49.96 Interest Rates Discount rate 0.75 Poland (Zloty) 3.83 Federal funds market rate 0.09 pansion in the services sector fol- jobs report last week with 850,000 said one; another commented: Saudi Arabia (Riyal) 3.7506 3­month bill 0.05 lowing a two-month contraction in jobs added in June, well above the “Lack of labor is killing us.” Singapore (Dollar) 1.3481 30­year bond 2.00 WEATHER OUTLOOK THURSDAY IN THE MIDDLE EAST THURSDAY IN EUROPE FRIDAY IN THE PACIFIC Misawa 64/61 Kabul Seoul 96/57 83/72 Baghdad 111/80 Tokyo Drawsko Osan Kandahar 83/71 69/66 Mildenhall/ Pomorskie Busan 106/66 Lakenheath 71/56 69/55 77/73 Iwakuni 78/75 Kuwait City Bahrain Brussels Zagan Sasebo Guam 112/90 94/89 Ramstein 74/59 68/55 69/55 78/75 83/80 Lajes, Riyadh Stuttgart 111/85 Doha Azores Pápa 69/66 64/61 105/82 Aviano/ 99/67 Vicenza 86/67 Naples 89/71 Morón Okinawa 82/79 98/60 Sigonella Rota 97/71 Souda Bay The weather is provided by the Djibouti 83/64 American Forces Network Weather Center, 101/87 80/76 2nd Weather Squadron at Offutt Air Force Base, Neb. TODAY IN STRIPES American Roundup ...... 11 Classified .................... 13 Comics .........................16 Crossword ................... 16 Faces .......................... 18 Opinion ........................ 14 Sports .................... 19-24 Thursday, July 8, 2021 • STARS AND STRIPES • PAGE 3 MILITARY Deployment at US-Mexico border extended BY ROSE L. THAYER ernment Accountability Office. Stars and Stripes Former President Donald As many as 3,000 troops will Trump first ordered National be deployed along the U.S. bor- Guard troops to the southern der with Mexico until Sept. 30, border in April 2018 and added 2022, stretching the military’s active-duty personnel to the mis- mission there into a fourth year, sion about six months later. the chief Pentagon spokesman When President Joe Biden said Tuesday. took office in January, he ended Defense Secretary Lloyd Aus- construction of a physical border tin approved a request to extend wall initiated by Trump but he the mission that supports the De- has kept the troops in place. partment of Homeland Security Following the extension of the along the southwest border, Pen- mission, governors in Ohio and tagon Press Secretary John Kir- North Dakota announced ap- by told reporters. Austin signed proval to send Guard troops on the request June 23, according to the federal deployment. a defense official who spoke on These federal missions are the condition of anonymity. separate from state-level mis- Austin authorized up to 3,000 sions ongoing in Arizona and troops to serve on the mission, Texas, where Republican gover- which is down from the 4,000 ap- nors disagree with the way that proved to serve at the southwest the Biden administration is border for fiscal 2021, Kirby handling border security. said. Deployments will continue Both states have activated to be staffed primarily by Na- hundreds of Guard members to tional Guard troops working in a serve at the border in support of federal status under the com- KEITH ANDERSON/U.S. Army state law enforcement. South mand and control of U.S. North- A soldier from the 1st Armored Division, Fort Bliss, Texas, conducts observations along the international Dakota and Arkansas an- ern Command, the defense offi- border near Nogales, Ariz., in February 2019. nounced last month plans to de- cial said. ploy Guard troops to support About 3,800 troops are de- The troops are a mix of active- cludes helping to identify, mon- The Defense Department has Texas’ state-led mission. ployed now to the southwest bor- duty service members and Na- itor and analyze patterns of un- spent more than $840 million on der in support of U.S. Customs tional Guard troops from nearly authorized entry and alert Bor- the mission so far, according to a [email protected] and Border Protection agents. two dozen states. Their work in- der Patrol agents. February report from the Gov- Twitter: @Rose_Lori Pentagon cancels disputed JEDI cloud contract with Microsoft Associated Press new possibilities for large-scale it to the final round, declined com- WASHINGTON — The Penta- cloud computing services.